This video offers a Call to Action regarding the entertainment industry, in both the international and the local arena. There is a Summary after the video.
VIDEO BY ALICE
SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO
Hello, Dear Ones, It’s Alice. I Am of the Stars.
This is a Call to Action regarding the entertainment industry. As I understand it, international relations suffer because of the violent, overtly sexual, and recreational drug content of the movies that are exported from the United States. I speak specifically of the Islamic countries and of China, which have different ethics … more strict ethics … than the ethics exhibited by the movies that are exported.
I would like to ask for sanctions on exportation of those sorts of films to foreign countries, in the interests of international diplomatic relations with the world.
In addition, because the young people of the United States are being influenced by the entertainment industry towards these dark actions of violence, crime, promiscuity, and overuse of recreational drugs, I would like to request that United States localities … cities, counties, and state governments … consider taxation of films with this type of content, with the intention of earmarking the sums received for maintaining additional law enforcement personnel to take care of the violence that ensues, and for healthcare facilities to help people through rehabilitation after they become addicted to drugs.
So those two things I ask for …
In the international arena, politics, governance in the United States, I am asking this of Washington DC itself: That sanctions be placed on exportation of films that may adversely influence our image as a country abroad.
And the other, on the local level: A tax to deal with the increased cost incurred by our communities because of the nature of the films and movies put out by the entertainment industry.
In love, light and joy,
I Am of the Stars
…………………..
movies, movie industry, entertainment industry, government, diplomacy, State Department, Washington DC, local government, California government, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, sin tax, taxation, drug addiction, drug rehabilitation, healthcare, crime prevention, law enforcement, mass media, calls to action, health, community health, United States image, countries of Earth, United States,
However, this includes addiction treatment, healthcare, and lost job productivity in addition to federal drug control expense. As it is the federal drug control expense that would be curtailed by legalization, I looked that up. The federal drug control expense for 2018 is estimated to be $27.8 billion dollars … That would mean the other costs … addiction treatment, healthcare, and lost job productivity … tally about $50.2 billion dollars a year.
It seems to me that generation of jobs is a moot point in the above article, since the jobs are already there, in our economy, but just not included in the job statistics. Further, income tax revenue from legalization of these jobs is included as part of the $132 billion revenue figure in the above article.
So, the important figure there is the $132 billion annual revenue for nationwide legalization of marijuana, I note this figure takes into account payroll tax deductions, a retail sales tax of 15 percent, and business tax revenues, which seems appropriate to me. I note also they are calculating federal revenue rather than state or local revenue (i.e., ‘sin taxes’).
$708.6BESTIMATED INCREASE IN TAX REVENUES FROM NATIONWIDE LEGALIZATION OF ALL RECREATIONAL DRUGS
I was unable to find comparable estimates for generation of revenue from legalization of sales of all categories of recreational drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other recreational drugs. However, this may be estimated as follows:
According to a 2010 Cato Institute report, the ratio of tax revenues for legalization of all drugs, to tax revenues for legalization of marijuana, was 46.7B : 8.7B. For these data, see …
Plugging this ratio into the more recent estimate of $132B annual marijuana revenue, we get:
46.7B / 8.7B = X / 132B … and
X = $708.6B … X being the current estimated annual revenues for legalization of all drugs nationwide.
$686.2B ESTIMATED ANNUAL NET IMPROVEMENT IN THE FEDERAL BOTTOM LINE
This estimate of $708.6B may be on the high side. However, going with this figure, and using the prior bolded figures, let’s consider what federal revenue changes might take place if all recreational drugs were legalized nationwide.
The current $50.2 billion dollar cost for addiction treatment, healthcare, and lost job productivity would stay roughly the same.
The current $27.8 billion dollar annual federal drug control expense would be greatly curtailed.
The current estimated annual revenues for legalization of all drugs nationwide would be $708.6B.
On the plus side for the federal government are the last two bullets: $27.8B plus $708.6B = a total of $736.4B total ‘fattening of the federal coffers’.
This increase in the federal bottom line might resolve the issue of the first-bullet minus: A portion of the federal increase might be set aside to completely cover the $50.2 billion dollar annual cost for addiction treatment, healthcare, and lost job productivity would stay roughly the same.
This would leave a net improvement in the federal bottom line of $736.4B less $50.2B = net $686.2B.
$17B ESTIMATED ANNUAL IMPROVEMENT IN THE STATE AND LOCAL BOTTOM LINE DUE TO ‘SIN TAX’ INCREASES
An added plus would be sin taxes on that might optionally be levied by state and local governments. In 2014, state sin taxes for were $32.5B for currently legal activities and products such as alcohol, tobacco, casino, racino, and gaming. The largest category was tobacco at $16.9B.
The retail value of 2017 annual tobacco sales in the United States was about $121B …
From 2000 to 2010, Americans spend about $100B annually on illegal drugs, including cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and methamphetamine, according to the RAND Drug Policy Research Center for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. This is the most recent figure I have on the market value of illegal drugs in the United States, so I’ll go with this.
Looking at these two figures: 2017 annual tobacco sales at $121B, and 2010 estimated annual illegal drug sales at $100 billion, we might consider these to be roughly equal.
Thus the sin tax on legalized recreational drugs sales might be anticipated to be about what states and local governments receive in annual sin tax for tobacco: that is, about $17B annually.
FEDERAL LEGISLATION THAT MIGHT GET AROUND THE MORAL ISSUE STATES HAVE WITH LEGALIZATION OF DRUGS
This crunching of the figures makes it clear that the most logical thing to do would be to legalize all recreational drugs, and generate federal and state revenues from their sales. However, many people in the United States have strong moral stands on recreational drugs.
In fact, the fury over legalization, or criminalization, of recreational drug use in America today is very similar to the fury over alcohol use that resulted in Prohibition … a ban on alcohol sales and use from 1920 to 1933. As I understand it, criminal activity around ‘bootlegging’ skyrocketed during those years. Then when Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the crime wave abated, and federal and local governments began to benefit from liquor revenues.
I feel we might have the same benefits with regard to recreational drugs in this way …
The federal government might legalize all recreational drug use and sales.
States might have the power to prohibit recreational drug use and sales, either altogether or in part.
Those states that legalize recreational drug use and sales, either altogether or in part, might get the benefit of remuneration by the federal government, based on increased federal revenues from recreational drug sales in their state.
Federal remuneration to states that decide to legalize recreational drugs might be earmarked for drug-use-related health care, addiction treatment, and health education for schools, and for drug users and their families.
In love, light and joy,
I Am of the Stars
…………………………………………
MORE INFORMATION
Tobacco tax revenues in the United States are expected to be about $14 billion dollars for the year 2018 …
government, law, drug use, legalization of drugs, economy, federal revenues, state and local revenues, sin tax, Prohibition, crime, law enforcement, social issues, mores, morals, drug use, addiction, community health, history, economics, health, education,
